The Lone Centurion's Adventures
by CrazyGirlyCaptain
Summary: One night during the London Blitz a visitor from the future arrives to save the Pandorica and its guardian. The story continues soon!  I'll take down the Author's Note in a few days. Enjoy the new chapter!
1. The Lone Centurion and Captain Short

Rory hadn't interacted with another person in about a decade; no one came in the warehouse. It was dusty, old, and since the legends said it was home to the Lone Centurion, most people kept away. Whether or not this legend was true, no one wanted to risk running into an angry Roman soldier who would run you through with his sword if you so much as _looked_ at the Pandorica.

Not that Rory was very comfortable with the story how it was. He didn't like killing. He didn't want to kill anyone. The idea of it made him sick to his stomach, or it would, if he could get sick to his stomach. He liked to think he could be sick to his stomach. He liked to think that he was still human, but humans don't live for as long as he had. Rory had seen so much over the years and it scared him. He wondered how much of this he would remember after the word was put right, after the stars returned to the sky and Amy was at his side again. He wondered what she would think of him if she found out what he had done, what he would do to protect her.

Outside, Rory thought he heard footsteps, but paid the sound no attention, not thinking there to be any danger. There was no alarm, no security of any kind. Not for this warehouse anyway. Everyone was too fearful of the Lone Centurion. In fact, there wasn't much else in this particular warehouse besides the Pandorica; nothing of value.

Every once in a while teenagers would come in here. Not to take a look at the Pandorica, or anything else the warehouse held. Mostly it was to catch a glimpse of the Lone Centurion. Rory would on occasion give the teens the pleasure of seeing what they came for. He'd take out his sword, put on his helmet and warn them in a deep and frightening voice to keep away and they'd run away screaming. Most of the time though, he'd stay in the shadows, quietly observing those who came in here.

The sound of the door on the far end of the warehouse creaking open snapped Rory from his thoughts. He straightened up and held his sword at the ready. His eyes had long since adjusted to the darkness so he had an advantage there, or so he thought. As the intruder neared him though, he was more than a little surprised to see how small he or she was. _A child?_ he thought. He couldn't, _wouldn't_ harm a child. The newcomer was dressed strangely though - a jumpsuit with a belt that contained all sort of unrecognisable gadgets. Covering his/her head was a helmet, so Rory was unable to see who, or what, this individual was. He could tell that the attire was not something you'd see during… what year was it? Sometime during the Second World War. The bombs… he'd have nightmares about the bombings. Or he would if he could dream.

"H-hello?" His voiced cracked and sounded rough as sandpaper as he called out to the individual that was approaching him. He hadn't spoken a word in years, preferring to let his sword do the talking for him when someone actually came in here.

The person hadn't noticed him until then however and immediately drew a weapon that Rory was sure was too advanced to belong to a human, let alone someone from this time period. He held up his sword as a precaution, but would try his hardest not to use it.

"You're not human then. That's fine, I'm not either technically."

"Who are you?" the newcomer asked.

It was a girl. Rory hadn't been expecting that either. She didn't sound like a child though and her accent was… strange. Like a bit of everything.

"I'm the Lone Centur-"

"No, I mean what's your _name_?"

"Rory Williams but I suppose that's-"

"So, Rory Williams – what's in the box?" He could hear her grin, as if she knew something that he didn't.

"Something more important than you know…" He looked at the Pandorica and pressed a hand against it, as though Amy would be able to feel his presence.

The girl studied him from behind her helmet's visor. "How did you know that I'm not human?" she asked, sounding more curious than angry. She lowered her gun, but Rory knew she would have it up again in an instant if he became a threat to her.

"The way you hold yourself, proportions, but the weapon mostly. I've seen enough to know that that is far too advanced to have come from humans, especially during this time."

" 'This time'," she repeated. "Are you from the future? I wouldn't ask that sort of thing normally, it's a bit crazy, but I've just come from the future because I've got a um… job to do here-"

"You can't open the Pandorica. Whatever you've come here for, I'll stop you if it's to open it." Rory held his sword up a bit higher, but he didn't want to use it. This girl was fascinating.

She holstered her weapon and held her hands up in a defensively. "Calm down, Mr. Centurion. I'm just supposed to move it. It's not safe here. The London Blitz and all that. This warehouse is going to be destroyed. Not sure on the specific time. That was a bit tricky to figure out. You weren't very helpful before. If I hadn't been here before I'd never had arrived in the right time period at all…"

"I wasn't helpful? But we've never met. When are you from?"

She laughed. "You never answered my question, why should I answer yours?"

Rory sighed. "I'm from the future, but it's complicated."

"I think I can keep up, you'd be surprised what I deal with back home. And anyway you're wrong. You've never met me, but I've met you."

So Rory told her about Amy and how he'd met the Doctor and how just before his wedding he went with the two of them in the TARDIS. He told the mysterious girl about how he'd died and come back as a Roman, but how that he wasn't himself. He told her how the aliens who had created this Nestine duplicate had captured more of him than they'd planned and how he had been guarding the Pandorica for nearly two thousand years to protect Amy.

"Wow. That's…impressive. I thought when I arrived here the Lone Centurion would be giving me trouble. You haven't met me yet after all though I suppose this fits with how I met you all those years ago, or in three years depending on how you look at it. Sorry, I'm starting to sound like Foaly, who you also don't know about. Just ignore all of that.'

"I don't understand. You know me?" He paused, but she didn't answer his question. "So where did you come from then? And if you're not human, what are you?"

"I'm…" she hesitated. "I'm an elf." She removed her helmet, showing him her pointed ears. Rory also noticed that her eyes didn't match. One was hazel while the other was very distinctly blue in colour. "My home is underground, in Ireland. I've come from the same time you do actually, or very-"

_**BOOM!**_

An explosion shook the warehouse. It was close.

"That's what I've come here for!" The girl shouted as another explosion came even closer. "A bomb is going to blow up the building! There's going to be a huge fire and both you and that box are destroyed in it!" Another explosion and the girl lost her balance. Rory caught her, pulling her to her feet again. "Foaly, my friend Foaly did research and this is where all the trouble start-"

"What trouble?" Rory asked urgently.

The girl shook her head. "I can't tell you, it could change things. But someone told him that time could be rewritten. We could _fix_ things. It all started here – tonight!"

Another bomb hit very close to the warehouse this time, blowing out a major part of the north wall and setting the boxes near it ablaze. It was spreading like, well like wildfire, and it was catching up to Rory and his new friend very quickly. The girl grinned and extended a pair of mechanical wings attached to her suit, nimbly flying up to wrap a stretch of rope that was attached to her belt around the Pandorica.

"Moonbelt," she said. "Just pull the rope. I'll pull from the air. It should reduce the weight of this thing. We need to get it away from this building because whatever it is, it's going to bring the stars back."

"You know about-"

"Just pull!"

Rory did as he was told and pulled the rope. He had doubted that they would be able to pull it out of harm's way, but it seemed like the device the girl had, the Moonbelt, was really doing its job. They'd just pulled the Pandorica beyond the warehouse when the roof started to cave in.

"When this is all over," Rory said, not meaning the fire, but saving the world with the Doctor. "I'll find you. I don't know how much of this I'll remember, but surely I'll recall some of this two thousand years."

"Yeah," she said. "Only the man who talked to my friend said we wouldn't remember." She laughed. "It's just as well I suppose. I don't think any of our mind-wiping equipment would work on you. Foaly wouldn't know how to do it without messing up your software probably. Can't have you remembering me unfortunately. You seem nice enough though, even if you were going to stab me with your sword." She winced as she said that, a buried memory resurfacing. "Think you can manage from here?"

Rory nodded.

"I have to go back then," she said. "Good luck, Rory Williams." She gave him a salute and ran off, disappearing around the side of the warehouse that still stood. He realised then that he didn't even know her name.

Rory heard sirens. People would be coming to put out the fire and he knew that he couldn't be seen. It was one thing to be well-known as the legend he was now, but quite another to be publically seen guarding the Pandorica. He backed further away from the flames, remembering the warning the Doctor gave him about too much heat all those years ago. He would still watch the Pandorica, but he'd have to be more careful about it now without the safety of the warehouse to guard him. As firemen arrived and started putting out the flames, Rory was already hidden.


	2. Author's Note

**Hello!**

**So I meant to update on Friday but them this AMAZING thing happened. I started writing what comes after Holly and Rory's second encounter. Well, second for him. ANYWAY, I was a tiny bit distracted and I haven't quite finished with what I wanted to upload on Friday. Looking at the plusses though, I'll have a few chapters ready to upload once a week I think as soon as I've uploaded this first thing.**

**For now, I'll give you a small (unedited) preview of what's to come:**

Rory looked around and went to the nearest shuttle. When he tried to open the door however, it was locked. The Doctor was at his side quickly with the sonic screwdriver to unlock it. He opened the door and said, "Now quickly quickly. We've got to get to the surface." He climbed in after Rory, shut the door behind him, and with a bit of difficulty sat in one of the chairs in the cockpit. "Blimey the fairies are small! OK this can't be too difficult to fly. Ignition... ignition... IGNITION! There it is. Oh, the brake's on... OK there we go. And put my foot on the pedal... this is easy, Rory!"

Rory was in the main cabin of the shuttle, strapping himself in with several safety belts. He didn't feel as confident in the Doctor's flying skills as he did.

"Geronimo!" The Doctor manoeuvred the shuttle around so it was facing the open lockdown door. He moved the shuttle slowly through the door and as soon as they were clear they were off flying through the chutes at speeds Rory didn't think possible. He sat in the seat nearest the cockpit and was leaning forward to see through the front window. Every time the Doctor took a corner too sharply or narrowly missed a protruding bit of rock on the side of the tunnel, Rory held closed his eyes and tried to keep from being sick.

"Doctor! Do you even know how to – AAAHHHH look out for that rock! Do you even know how to fly this thing?"

"Come on, Rory! Have a little faith! It won't ki- Ah. Never mind." He shook his head. "It's just a few more minutes to the surface. Don't you remember -? Oh. You're rubbish like this, Rory. No offence."

"None taken."


	3. More fairies for the plastic Roman

**Author's Note: Hello! I've finally had the time and motivation to finish this chapter. I've not gone through the whole thing and edited it because I'm rushing to upload it before I have to babysit so any mistakes will be fixed in the next few days.**

**This isn't the end of Rory's adventures with the fairies! I'll be posting more quite soon!**

After the flames at the warehouse had been put out, Rory noticed the astonishment on all the firemen's faces that the Pandorica was unharmed. It was completely covered in ash and rubble, but Rory could see that as soon as those were cleared away, it would be good as new.

_Three Years Later…_

The Pandorica and the Centurion were currently in London, in a new warehouse after the old one had been destroyed by a bomb and a fire. Over the years it had been bought and sold by many individuals. Rory was more or less an unknown part of the purchase. They all knew the legends of course, but Rory tried to keep to himself. But when he caught a glimpse of a familiar fairy, it was all he could do not to shout.

A whole group of them were standing on the roof of the warehouse, looking like a group of schoolchildren out on a field trip, though Rory guessed that these fairies were university age.

Rory was being quite obvious about his staring and one fairy, the one he'd been looking for, stared back at him. He waved at her and she gave him a slightly frightened and quizzical look. Rory remembered that she hadn't met him yet.

He quickly went back inside the warehouse, worried that he would be seen by the other fairies and be thought a threat. The fairy had been so helpful to him the last time they'd met. He was sure he and Amy inside the Pandorica had only survived that fire thanks to her. Even if the group saw him as dangerous, he wouldn't fight them for this reason.

Evidently the fairy girl's teacher was not very observant because minutes later, the girl was coming in the door.

"How did you-?"

"Storm pipe." She grinned.

Rory wanted to explain his actions. "Right. Listen, I-"

"No human," she said, suddenly serious and Rory raised his eyebrows at her. "You listen. Why in Frond's name were you waving at me?"

"First, I'm not human." He opened up his hand and showed her the gun. "I'm plastic. Second, it's complicated. You haven't met me yet, but I met you a few years ago."

"Time travel is illegal," she said and Rory shrugged.

"Now maybe, but whenever the other you came from, that law doesn't seem to matter."

She crossed her arms. "You're not making any sense."

"I know it's confusing. I don't get it half of the time even after all the research I did. Will do. Never did." He shook his head. "Sorry."

"I've got to go. The professor will notice I've gone and I was told if I wandered off again, I wouldn't be able to come to the surface anymore." She turned to go.

"Wait!" Rory grabbed her shoulder, holding her back. "What's your name?"

For a moment, he expected her to pull away and run. What if he scared her away or had hurt her? To his surprise and relief, she turned back towards him. She stared at him, studied his face. It looked like she was trying to see if there were any ulterior motives she should watch out for but for now she seemed to deem him trustworthy.

"Holly Short," she answered.

He was barely able to stifle his laugh at her surname, but Holly noticed. A fierce look came over her face and she balled her hands into fists. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing!" Holly's face had for a moment reminded the Centurion of who he was guarding. Any trace of laughter that was on his face vanished.

"What's your name then?" she asked him, daring his name to be any better.

"Rory," he said and it was Holly's turn to laugh.

"What is it short for – Roranicus? 'Rory's' not very Roman, is it?"

"I'm not actually Roman," he said. "Well, I am, but I'm not really. It's complicated. This outfit is mostly to keep up with the title."

"The Lone Centurion," she said.

How far had the legend spread? "You know?"

Holly nodded. "Everyone on – and under- the earth knows about you and the Pandorica."

Voices were heard outside the warehouse. Rory grasped the hilt of his sword but Holly pulled his hand away. "Calm down, Roman boy. It's just my class. My professor will _kill_ me if he knows I've been talking to you. Please just go stand behind the box." Rory gave her a suspicious look, not really sure what to do. He had to protect the Pandorica and hiding behind it while a group came to see it didn't seem the right way to do it. Trusting Holly from his last encounter with her however, he followed her suggestion and moments later a group came into the warehouse.

"Miss Short! Just because your parents are high ranking LEP officers doesn't mean you can wander away from the group!"

Holly rolled her eyes. "Sorry, professor. I was um… anxious to see the Pandorica?" An obvious lie, but the professor was the only one who didn't notice.

The short pixie began his lecture. "Right then! Gather round everyone and get a good look. As you all know from our last class, the Pandorica has been in recorded history since the year 102 in Roman occupied British territory. Stonehenge had fallen into a state of disrepair at this time; one of its businesses had failed with the arrival of the Romans. The Pandorica of course was hidden under Stonehenge, but was later moved to Rome itself as well as various other locations across Europe. Human legend says that this magnificent piece has always been accompanied by a guardian – the Lone Centurion. He is described as a Roman soldier who has been guarding the Pandorica since its discovery or possibly before." He paused for all the information to sink in. Most of the students looked bored. They'd heard all this back in the classroom in Haven. "This is complete nonsense of course. If the legends were to be believed the Centurion would need to be nearly 2000 years old – an impossible feat."

Rory waited patiently for the lecture to be through but he didn't like the fairy telling the class that he wasn't real. Rather than wait for the harmless group to leave, he stepped out from behind the Pandorica and cleared his throat. "Actually, I'm real, thanks." He almost laughed at the look of shock on the pixie's face. He waved. "Hello."

Holly grinned. She was the only one in the class who didn't seem about to faint.

"Y-you're real!" the professor said, his eyes wide.

"Yeah. I'm not human in case you were wondering. I don't know how long I'll last," he shrugged. "But I'll stay with the Pandorica as long as I can."

The professor recovered slightly. "Perhaps you can answer a few questions. The mysteries surrounding you and the Pandorica are plentiful."

Rory nodded and sat down cross-legged in front of the Pandorica. His face was now level with most of the group. "All right then. I haven't had to answer any questions in… well, a long time. I don't get many visitors lately."

The professor took a small handheld computer out of his pocket, preparing to take down everything Rory said. "Mister Centurion –"

"Rory. My name is Rory Williams."

"That doesn't sound very Roman," one of the students said.

"I'm not _really_ Roman. Well, I am, but- It's… it's a long story."

"We have time Mr. Williams, and if you won't tell our secret to the humans, we'll make sure they don't know about you either." He looked hopeful.

He told them the same story he'd told Holly three years ago. He'd told his story only a handful of times over the centuries but he told it the same way as the last time and the time before that. "It all started when I saw the coma patients at the hospital I used to work at walking around the village." He told them about the Doctor and the TARDIS and how he'd left for another two years after that eventful day but had come back for his fiancé on the night before their wedding. He talked about fish vampires and going underground and then he told them how he'd died and woken up a Roman with his head full of Roman stuff. He explained that the Pandorica was meant to be a prison, but wasn't being used for its original purpose. "Someday it'll open again," he said, looking at the box longingly.

"What's inside?" the professor asked. He'd typed out pages and pages of notes on the small device and was anxious to enter in this last piece of information. "It's said to be the most important thing in the whole universe, but no one knows what that is."

Rory shook his head. "I'm sorry. I can't tell you that."

The pixie looked as though he wanted to argue with Rory, demand to be told what was inside the box, but he saw the sword that could be drawn and used in a moment and thought better of it. "Right. Of course. You've told us so much already."

"If it's alright, I'd like to ask you lot a few questions. I hardly ever get to speak to anyone," he said glancing at Holly.

The professor didn't notice the look. He had been putting his handheld computer safely away in his pocket. "Sure. Fire away Mr. Cen- ah, sorry. Mr. Williams."

"First, what year is it? I'm guessing in the forties considering some of the events of the last few years. The bombs. The war in general."

"It's nineteen forty-four."

Rory nodded. "Ok. Good, good." He paused. "I'll completely understand if this isn't possible, but I need to speak to someone. One of you lot. The guy's name is Foaly and based off what I understand-"

"The technical advisor for the LEP?" Holly asked.

He looked relieved. Rory hadn't been sure she would even know who he was. "So you know him? Great."

"How do _you_ know him?"

"I don't! I mean, I've never spoken to him, but I need to. It has to do with um, someone who will travel back in time to three years ago and help me with something. A life and death situation really. I need to tell Foaly about it. He's the one who tells her to go back and what to do."

The professor took a cell phone from the opposite pocket the handheld computer had been in. He seemed willing to help Rory with anything he could. Maybe he was just kind but there was also the sword that was on Rory's belt. "I'm afraid I don't know the number for the LEP."

"I know it!" Holly said. She grabbed at the phone as Rory was reaching out to take it from the professor and dialed in the number herself. "Both my parents work there."

Rory went to take the phone after she had dialed but the professor took it again. "Best to allow me to introduce you before speaking to Mr. Foaly." The Centurion nodded and waited a bit anxiously for the chance to speak to him.

With her teacher distracted, Holly went over to Rory and leaned in close."You were talking about me, weren't you?" she whispered. "You told me before that you'd met me before."

His internal debate on telling Holly the truth or not lasted only seconds. He felt she had earned the truth for the acts she had performed in the past. Or the acts she _would_ perform. "You were older. I don't know how much, but I know it was you."

Rory turned to watch the professor.

"Yes, he says he knows you-" It sounded that the professor had just started the conversation with the technical advisor.

"No – I know _of_ him," he corrected.

"He knows of you sir… yes he's the Lone Centurion… He's real sir, right in front of me… Right." He held the small device out to Rory. "It's a mobile phone. You-"

"I know how to use it. I had one myself before I was this." He gestured at the Roman getup.

"Right. Of course. Sorry."

Rory took the phone. It felt a bit surreal to be using a mobile after all this time and especially in this time while he was a plastic Roman Centurion. "Mr. Foaly?"

"Is this the Lone Centurion?"

"Um, Rory Williams please."

"Your name is _Rory_? Really? Not Spartacus or something else ridiculous?"

"Just Rory." He moved away from the group. "I know this will probably sound crazy, but I've met one of the uh… fairy officers."

"And?" he asked, not understanding the significance.

"And she's here now. The girl I've met is from the future. But she came to the warehouse with the Pandorica about three years ago. Short is her surname."

"Captain Short is out on a –"

"_Holly_ Short."

"But Holly's not a captain yet. She's not even been accepted into the Academy."

"Time travel, Mr. Foaly. You give her instructions to go back in time and stop the Pandorica from being destroyed in a fire."

"Time travel's illegal. You're not making sense. Just tell me one thing," he requested.

Rory was quiet for several moments, not keen on telling too much to a complete stranger. "I can't promise anything."

"Is it true what they say about the Pandorica? That it holds the most important thing in the universe?"

Rory hesitated, but decided to trust Foaly. "Yes. Remember – the day you send Holly back she needs to go to the day of the fire. It was three years ago."

"How do I know I can trust you? You're asking me to break the law and put an officer in danger."

"How do I know I can trust _you_? I honestly don't have a clue about who you are. All I know is that the information about that night three years ago came from you."

Foaly was silent for a few moments. "I guess you've got a point, even if you could just be saying that. How much time do you have?"

"Plenty. Why do you ask?"

"Commander Julius Root is on his way to the surface. You've turned a simple fieldtrip into a major security concern. He ah… wants to interrogate you a bit, but don't worry."

"Are you coming?" Rory asked.

"No, I stay underground. I almost never come to the surface. It's much easier for an elf or a pixie to blend in than a centaur. But you can't exactly go waltzing around the city dressed as a Roman, can you?"

"I don't go into the city. I stay with the Pandorica."

"You don't need to eat or sleep? You're always guarding it?" Foaly asked.

"Yes. I'm not exactly human. I've been guarding the Pandorica for nearly 2000 years."

Rory could hear the centaur whistle through the phone's speaker.

"That's impressive. Listen, as fab as it's been to speak to you, Rory. I'm afraid I have other things that need taking care of. In the future, do I speak to you again?"

"No, and even if you did I wouldn't know who you are. The fire was three years ago. Holly acts as though she knows me. I dunno how far in the future that is for you."

Foaly started to reply but an LEP officer came into the warehouse. Taking off his helmet, Rory could see he didn't seem very happy to be there. He wondered what had made him so angry, not knowing of his nickname around the office.

"I've got to go. That commander of yours is here."

"Ah, give him my regards," the centaur said and he disconnected the call.

Rory joined the group again and returned the mobile to its owner. He then turned to the Commander.

"Hello, you must be Commander Root." He held out a hand for Root to shake but the commander instead chose to take a cigar out of his pocket and light it.

"Listen, human-"

"I'm not human." Rory sighed.

"You look like one," Root pointed out

Rory almost replied that Root looked like a munchkin from the Wizard of Oz, but thought that might be rude. "I understand you have some questions for me?"

He had many questions for Rory. For the second time that day he told his story. The Commander was an attentive listener, only stopping him to ask occasional questions. When he described what had happened three years before the Commander seemed at the same time outraged and proud that one of the officers – his officers – would do that for a human and he voiced his opinion to Rory.

"I'm not human," Rory reminded him again. "I know I have human memories but as impressive as you think it is for one of your kind to help a human, that's not the case with me. I like to think of myself as being human, but I'm really not. Holly helped me because she was sent to do a job. It seems like Foaly was responsible or maybe whoever told him that time could be rewritten. Sounds like the Doctor to be honest."

"Mr. Williams my job here is to find out what happened three years ago. Do you know when Holly came from? What year?"

"She said – well she _started_ to say that she came from very nearly the same time as I did. I'm guessing you'll be waiting until the turn of the century, but I really can't give you a certain date. There were _bombs_ dropping on us after all. No time to discuss the specifics of when she came from."

Commander Root nodded. "Fine," he said a bit gruffly. "I just wish you could give us more information to work with."

Rory apologized that he couldn't help more and the Commander walked away. He spoke with Holly's professor for a minute and left from the same direction he'd come. The professor lectured the class a bit more, telling them about his own theories about what was inside the Pandorica. One of the students called out to Rory and asked him what was inside, but Rory wouldn't answer. Let them think it was a powerful and mysterious weapon. They seemed happy that way. Besides, they didn't understand about the stars and Rory felt like he had explained enough that day.

Soon the group of fairies left and Rory was once again left on his own. He wasn't sure if he would meet Holly again, but he hoped he would.


End file.
